


Beskar Heart: An Appendix (Author's notes)

by The Corellian Pirate (Turhaya_Hundteth)



Series: Beskar Heart [6]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adult Content, Author Commentary, F/M, Literary References & Allusions, Literary Theory, Personal Journey, Self-Acceptance, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, The Author Regrets Nothing, Writing, creative writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23760127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turhaya_Hundteth/pseuds/The%20Corellian%20Pirate
Summary: This appendix contains the Author's notes:- The Crest's Demise: A note on the impacts of season 2 on the story- The Grogu Eggs: A collection of 'Reverse Easter Eggs' . That is, things in Beskar Heart which later appeared in season 2.- The Birth of Beskar: Literary influences and thematic discussion- The Wookie Book: Star Wars references and things I "borrowed" from Wookiepedia (still under construction)- The Author's Journey: A personal note from the author on the writing process for Beskar Heart, and the healing power of creative writing. Written after the first part of Beskar Heart was postedLanguage warning.
Series: Beskar Heart [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707496
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. The Crest's Demise

“Genho precipe, chia bey propr masho.

Bahal fho decshra, il sanlo fho sanlo!

Pass chia lum, preni fiereco

Ehin pen. Ahent uhl dio!”

_Clan above, each is own master. Fight for right, and blood for blood! Tread ever lightly, take pride in endeavour. Heed the gods!_

So, it looks like the final part of Beskar Heart has been posted.

A series which was never supposed to be a series, and probably should have stopped thousands of words ago. Which is why I wrote what I did in The Author’s Journey many months ago, assuming that the original piece was the end of the road.

I bet that confused the fuck out of you, huh? Dumb-ass here kept leaving it as ‘final’ status, because I always thought the epilogue I was posting was _definitely_ going to be the last one. Sorry about that…

Well, four epilogues later, I think I’m finally and truly done. With episode 14 of the Mando just dropping, Robert Rodriguez blew up my hopes of a re-alignment with canon, and a possible Beskar Heart 2, much like he blew up the fucking Razor Crest! I love Robert Rodriguez to bits… but... fuck! The Razor Crest??? You monumental asshole! It may have been a total, non-functional piece of crap, but it was OUR beloved shit-barge! (Don't worry, Robert. I still love you, at the very least for _Predators_ and brisket...)

Moff Gideon’s reappearance I could handle. It’s easy enough to have someone come back from perceived death, and I’d already made notes on changes required. However, there’s going to be no unwinding all those other contradictions, particularly the most glaring one - Mayfeld coming back. But… when I thought about whether or not that was really the _right thing_ to do, I realised that something as small as _not_ having Moff Gideon die, kind of corrupted the bigger thematic picture of the story. At any rate, I love Bill Burr and i am so fucking psyched to see Migs Mayfeld make a comeback in this week’s episode! Thinking about jail breaking Migs, and some of the other stuff which had been brought up in season 2 so far, I’m going to change tact.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll post some other chapters here in this appendix, covering two things.

First some of the stuff being brought up in season 2 which I accidentally alluded to writing Beskar Heart. And second, I thought I’d explain why it would be wrong to resurrect Gideon, and some other literary and thematic stuff (including but not limited to, some of the film and book references and inspirations through the story). Why? Why analyse my own fucking fanfic? It’s the stupidest, most incredibly narcissistic thing on the planet, so who the fuck knows? But if you’ve made it this far, then you might get a little kick out of it. Also, I may as well jot it all down before I forget. After all, this ageing brain does have a day job to do, and grey-matter real estate is currently at a premium.

In addition to that, I’m going to write some extra sections for [**Life Through a T-Shaped Lens: Din Djarin Character Study (The Mandalorian)**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24146812) which is an analysis piece looking at season 1 events against the Mandalorian Resol’nare (and also contains some creative works and visual art). I’m going to cover off season 2, although I have no idea what that will look like yet. So look for that to be expanded at the end of this year, or start of 2021. T-Shaped Lens is kind of a crash course in the Six Actions, and an exploration of Din Djarin’s past. If you’re looking for justification of why I’ve written the Mando the way I did, then it’s probably as good a place as any to start.

In the meantime, the smut piece I was working on been posted. I decided to go ahead with it because, well… since the Razor Crest is no more, it seems stupidly poetic to have Razor Crest Radio go out with a literal bang. Besides, the world needs more of the good kinds of smut and sleaze if you ask me. And much like the Pirate, I’m not hung up on that shit, so yeah – let the Mando and the Pirate get their Fuck Game on, for one last hurrah!

But never trust me when I say I’ve finished something, or I’m going to do something in the future. I change my mind more than my underwear. So, for now… I’ll leave you, and say only this:

May the Force be with you.


	2. The Grogu Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section for Season 2 Analysis - Chapters 1 - 14.

Reviewing season 1 would be boring. Well, in the context of Beskar Heart it would be, because everything in the story was inspired be season 1. That is a no brainer. It wouldn’t be fanfic if I didn’t write about the events and characters already covered off in season 1!

But reviewing season 2 is far more interesting. I finished writing the original story for Beskar Heart back before Easter 2020, and the last plot epilogue (epilogue 3 - I am not counting the smut piece) was posted well before season 2 commenced. Back in June… Which means, unless there was a teaser dropped for something through 2020, I had no idea that it was going to happen when I wrote about it.

So, they're like reverse Easter Eggs - I'm calling them **'Grogu Eggs'.** They're eggs, but they're not the kind you're used to! And that’s what makes this particular retrospective analysis a hell of a lot of fun, because there’s a shit ton of thematic overlap, and I had no idea about any of it!

Also the damned season is still going so it's like still being on the roller coaster. Maybe I have to come back here and edit a smidgen, but I'm going to try NOT to delve into literary analysis here - I'm saving that for 'T-Shaped Lens'. So hopefully we're good... right?...

**Krayte Dragon**

_"I’ve taken out a fucking Krayte dragon with no worries, but at least I was able to use as much firepower as I wanted! Staring-down that Akk with nothing but a lone blaster was something else. Din didn’t help, the stupid bastard. Took his eyes off the canyon and nearly sent me bouncing right into its jaws."_

Let's start with an easy one from the first epilogue. I just wanted to mention a Krayte dragon because of old Ben Kenobi. But I laughed my ass off, when we got a bad-ass Krayte straight off the bat! The use of firepower to destroy it (blowing it up by explosive, just as the Pirate would) just got me in the feels :-) Then there's the line about Din taking his eyes off the canyon and Tur almost bouncing into the Akk Dog's jaws, which was nicely mirrored when the Krayte really did swallow Din in a sandy canyon...

**Cara joins the Republic**

_"Cara had explained to him that she was going on a mostly diplomatic mission to contact the old Rebellion (the crazy Pirate, the Ex-Imp, and the wanted Mando were far less suited to the task)"_

Well, that's kinda spooky, isn't it, Marshall Dune?

**Unlicensed Boxing and Gamoreans**

_"Prize fighting had always been an easy way to make a living, but the backwater matches I was used to weren’t going to provide the kind of funds I needed. If I was going to make some serious credits, I had to fight in bigger fights. That meant finding a shadowport – somewhere I knew there would be a lot of illegal trade, and dirty deals going on. Those are the places that you find the big underground fights that attract the hard gamblers."_

_"In the Socorro fight game, if you want to make any decent money, eventually you have to deal with a fight manager known only as ‘Zee’"_

_"Did you know Jabba the Hutt’s Rancor could swallow a Gamorrean guard whole? That monster could gulp one of those squealing porkers down in under thirty seconds. Really easy way to kill someone and dispose of the body at the same time, and the New Republic aren’t about to go sifting through Rancor shit to try and find people’s remains."_

The Kitchen Conversations were based on Guy Ritchie films - the three central backstory tales being modelled off Snatch, The Gentlemen and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The chapter The Shadow Fight was based on Snatch's unlicensed boxing plot, revolving around Turkish, Bricktop, and Mickey. Since we got a small snippet in episode 7 of Cara fighting for money, and a nice illegal fight scene in the Solo movie, I thought this was a great fit.

In this part of the third epilogue, we find out all about Cara's misadventure with Grogu on Socorro, as she fights for credits. The Gamoreans came into it, because I wanted to reference Bricktop's famous monologue with Vince and Sol, when he explains how to feed victim's bodies to pigs.

So imagine my ecstatic delight, when the OPENING SCENE of the second season takes place in an illegal fight ring, making a shifty deal with a dodgy boxing promoter, and two Gamoreans (disposable ones, apparently) are duking it out! As you know, the promoter tries to kill our hero, but ends up meeting their own demise.

Maybe Favreau loves One-Punch Mickey and Turkish as much as I do?...

**The Spear**

_“Din had a moment of alarm as her rifle jammed, but Tur calmly took out her retractable spear…”_

Beskar spear! Be still, my fucking beating heart! My very first thought when I saw that thing was “Holy shit! Could you imagine the look on the Pirate’s face if she saw THAT??!!!”

The spear in Beskar Heart is VERY symbolic. Primarily, the spear is Odin’s symbol. Gungnir, was Odin’s personal weapon.

Odin’s special warriors – the Ulfhednar (‘wolf coats’) - also carried spears. Of all the Berserkers, the Ulfhednar were the most closely associated with Odin – his personal guard. They wore the pelts of wolves, and carried spears, unlike the Beserkir (‘bear shirts’) who wore bear skins and carried swords and shields.

In Beskar Heart, you get a Dog who carries a spear. Close enough… For me, it was important that the spear became culturally significant to all Old Clan, and not just Turhaya. Therefore, it turned up in the Corellian song: _“C_ _ORELLISI! OI! CORELLISI! OI! Rattle your spears and beat all the odds!”_

Spears are also an instrument of sacrifice, and synonymous with Jesus’ crucifixion. Death and rebirth are very important themes, and this is why I chose to take out Gideon with the spear, and not a blaster. The story isn’t actually about death, even though apparently death was always coming. It’s about rebirth – coming out the other side of the storm.

Finally, the spear is a phallic reference. Yeah, that’s right, the retractable spear is nothing more than a giant, compactable cock. Fucked Gideon, at any rate, didn’t it?:

_“Cry praise to the Dropper and kneel at her feet. Grab hold of your spear in her name. And tithe to the beautiful Goddess of Death. The Legend - The Princess of Pain!”_

The union of opposites – male and female, light and dark – is a recurrent theme in Beskar Heart.

Again, it came naturally and unconsciously at first, but stood out as something I should reinforce. If you’re a Da Vinci Code fan, you’ll get these references. Turhaya, as a woman, carries the masculine symbols of the spear and the blade. She quite literally _skewers_ a _buck_ with it. Din, on the other hand carries his cup and his bucket, both of which represent the feminine.

I have zero idea where the spear will end up in The Mandalorian, but after it came from the ashes of the Crest, alongside the control knob, it’s symbolic power is now rife (and I’ll deal with that in T-Shape Lens – which I won’t spoil here). But the fact that the very symbolic weapon of choice for my dear Pirate, has also become a very potent, and critical, image in season 2… well, I’m fucking chuffed!

** The Control Knob **

_Tur: The control knobs help strengthen the association with Din, the Crest, and this place._

“It’s not a toy” was a favourite line for many of us, and Grogu’s obsession with parts of the Crest was always a source of cute amusement. However, I was delightedly surprised at the “he’s stubborn” scene with Ahsoka, as Grogu uses the Force on the control knob.

The control knob could have stayed a cute in-joke, but I’m glad it has become more symbolic.

In Beskar Heart, I tried to make the control knob a symbol of family, and Grogu’s path with the Force – i.e. if Grogu associates the Force with love, he will be more likely not to stray to the Dark Side. Not just in the literal sense of the ‘Fore training’ scene we see in the third epilogue, but more symbolically.

The Clan collect an entire box of knobs for Grogu, when they re-do the cabin in preparation for the child. This was a representation of the fact that Din and Grogu now had an entire Clan surrounding them as family, and not just one parental figure in Din. It was a gift to Din, just as much as Grogu, and in the third epilogue Mayfeld remarks how much Din will struggle when he resumes his quest on his own with the child.

Therefore, the control knob became a symbol of family, and I’ll go more into how this pairs with the spear in T Shaped Lens.

** The Hot Pools **

_Here, at this site, boiling thermal mineral water from the outlets upstream combined with cooler river water and made it possible to bathe in the naturally formed rock pools. She said the water had healing properties, and she had used the same water to wash his own wounds._

I’m glad the hot pools, where our Frog Momma bathes, is a symbol of healing, bonding, and nurturing. It’s also a place of sacrifice and love. In the show, it highlights the extent of parental love, and sets an example to the Mando about the harsh truths (and risks) of raising children. I wrote the hot pools chapters with similar themes in mind, of healing and bonding, and the Mando learns the cold reality of love (and the pain it can cause).

** The Secret Lab **

_Tubes and wiring ran everywhere into some unknown, gigantic, hideous machine. Whatever this monstrous contraption was, it was connected to frightened, imprisoned children. It looked a bit like Bespin’s Cloud City, if it suddenly plummeted to the bottom of Sith hell._

Pershing’s secret experiment lab – that’s no database, it’s a bio-lab for children… to sap their force power

** Bo-Katan **

_There may even be Mandalorians who may have information passed down from Bo-Katan Kryze (who wielded the Dark Sabre herself and fought alongside Obi Wan Kenobi)._

Fuck you, Bo-Katan. Din got answers, but I wasn’t expecting a crisis of faith… Thanks a lot.

** Boba Fett **

_Turned out Boba Fett was working for Jabba, not the Guild, and delivered Bera’s ship to him_

The return of a cherished legend, who’s not actually and enemy, but is followed by the wrath of Imps.

In the third epilogue of Beskar Heart, Tur recounts a run in with Fett. She thinks he’s there to stuff her up, but he’s really helping the situation.

That’s because I’m a mad fan of the Fett man! My signed photo of Jeremy Bullock is one of my most treasured possessions. Besides, I’ve always been a Han girl, and anyone who can catch my beloved Solo, is pretty bad-ass in my books.


	3. The Grogu Eggs 2: The Believer

An in-depth look at the similarities between chapter 15 - "The Believer" - and Beskar Heart.

_“I haven’t had any fucking time to think about any of this shit. The Mando killed Ran and the others. I should hate him. I mean, I do hate the Tin Can, but not as much as I thought I would. He threw me in jail, busted me out of jail, says I’m part of the crew and then beats me to a pulp. I’ve got no idea what the guy’s thinking… I guess I should have seen the beating part coming, but this is some crazy stuff. A Pirate? A Dropper? A weird little kid who can move shit with its mind, and a Mandalorian? This whole plan? It’s fucking insane! Then I ask myself if this is really any crazier than any of the other shit I’ve done - whether or not the people are really any weirder – and I can’t even tell you the answer to that anymore.” – Mayfeld (Beskar Heart – ‘The Rapids’)_

Holy shit, when I first put in the placeholder for Grogu eggs (right after Chapter 14 of The Mando dropped), I never in my wildest dreams thought that this would happen…

Chapter 15 mirrors many aspects of the middle third of Beskar Heart – Part 2: The Red River Adventures of a Triggerman. MANY aspects…

Turhaya once gave Migs Mayfeld a Corellian Hound tooth, and during that conversation, the Triggerman had her a little speechless at one point. But this time, the Triggerman has this old Corellian Pirate completely lost for words.

I’ll dig right into and I’m not going to go into too much explanation or waffle, because I think you’re going to see it for yourself. The following is a series of points as they occur in rough order during The Mandalorian (MTV), with some excerpt and quick notes from Beskar Heart (BH) for comparison. I’ll then call out what I think are the common threads.

Let’s start with a brief recap of how we got here…. Comparing the first part of BH, and the some of the events so far in MTVS2… Apart from those already called out in the chapter before this one…

  1. **The Recap**



Common Thread: After crashing the Crest and being stranded on a strange planet with a very weird stranger (which entails being chased by a large creature, a bath in a hot pool, and some very unusual relationship questions) the Mando goes through a bit of a helmet crisis and is going mental because he’s lost the kid somewhere out there in the galaxy. Eventually he gets the Crest repaired, finds Cara, and with his new motley crew of unexpected allies, goes to bust Mayfeld out of jail…

Differences: I didn’t get Ahsoka, Boba (much) the Krayte (much) or Fennec Shand. I missed Mon Calamari, Pelli Motto, and I sure as hell would never have the balls to remove the Mando’s helmet outside of Creed (although… he took it off at times), or blow up the Razor Crest entirely (although… I destroyed it, but the Clan put it back together, so no harm done). But I reckon I compensated for that with Han and Chewie, drug use and sex. And of course, I killed Gideon, but I kind of had to…

And I could never bring myself to name The Kid, but I’m so glad we all can now! Grogu!

  1. **Find Cara and pull a jailbreak**



_“We need to do three things: find out what Gideon knows about the kid, destroy what he knows, then use what we find out to get the kid home. The data must be stolen first, and for that we need the asset...”_

In BH, Din finds Cara and Grogu, and uses Cara to assist him in jailbreaking Migs, with his new crewmate (who Cara hasn’t met until this point). In MTV, Mando ask Cara to find his asset “I need you to locate someone in the prison registry. Ex-Imperial sharpshooter, last name Mayfeld.”  
  


Common Thread: Din must find Cara first, then take his new crew to bust Mayfeld from the clink, so the Triggerman can help him steal data, in the name of Grogu.

  1. **Mayfeld’s backstory**



_Din: Used to be an Imperial sharpshooter. By the way he operates, I’m guessing he was in a special unit. He’ll have knowledge of Imperial protocol and systems that very few people will know about._

We know from MTVCH6 he was an Imperial sharpshooter. But we didn’t know what kind…

_The Imperial Security Bureau. While most Imps were slow and stupid, ISB were a different breed of Trooper. He suspected it’s where this rag-tag crew had picked up their specialist Triggerman from, although he couldn’t be certain._

In BHEP3, I had Mayfeld work for the head of ISB security (who also happened to be a big shot in the black market). I took a punt at what kind of Imp he was. Turns out, he was just a field operative, but… “ _It's Valin Hess. I used to serve under him.”_

Common Thread: Fuck me, Mayfeld really DID work for the ISB!

  1. **Why Migs?**



_Bera: Those Empire ships have standardised systems. They do it so they can move technical crew between ships. Any Imp with a decent level of clearance should be able to easily navigate the systems on the Acclamator. Imps are predictable if nothing else._

_Din: If he is what I think he is, he will be more than capable of doing the job. All we need to do is cover our tracks._

In MTV, It's "You still know your Imperial clearances and protocols, don't you?"  
  


Common Thread: Mayfeld has specialised talent, and the applicability of his skill set it pertinent, because the Imps standardise everything, and clearly, they don’t change much over time.

  1. **Long time, No See**



_The Mando said “Mayfeld. Long time... No see.”_

_…_

_“What are you going to do, Mando? Shoot me? Let the monster eat me? Or are you just going to let the Princess of Pain over there give me a beating?”_

In MTV, the ‘long time, no see’ is flipped. Din says “Mayfeld.” And Migs replies “Hey, Mando. Long time. What, you came here to kill me?”

Common Thread: When we first meet Migs, he assumes Din has come to get him, and says as much.

  1. **The Lucky Offer**



_The Dropper resumed “Then there’s lucky door number four: Take the opportunity and join the crew. Blow up some Imps. Make a few credits. Drink some spotchka. Have a good time…”_

_“So which door is it going to be, Mayfeld?” asked the Mando._

In MTV, Mando tells Mayfeld “All you need to know is I bent a lot of rules to bring you along.” And Mayfeld says “Why am I so lucky?”  
  
Common Thread: In the end, Din makes Migs a much better offer.

  1. **Fennec and Boba’s Deal**



In BH, the Pirate and the Mando shack up, and the outlaw joins the crew. In MTV, we get an assassin who is working for a Mando and they both join the crew.

Common Thread: A female outlaw bound to Mando via a binding agreement.

  1. **The Bafflement**



_The Triggerman had no idea where the shock trooper fit in to this picture, and less of an idea where he fit in himself. All he could do was sit here and wait for answers._

In BH, Migs has to wait until he’s back on the Crest to find out why he’s been sprung. In MTV, Migs bugs Cara with “I mean, it's a common courtesy, a common courtesy to tell somebody where it is that you're takin' 'em.”  
  


Common Thread: You’re just going to have to trust this, and go with Cara. Your mission is a surprise, and we’ll tell you about it when we get back to the Mando ship.

  1. **Mission Impossible**



_“This is the job you wanted me to help you with?” said Mayfeld “Fuck me! You should have left me in the slammer! It’s impossible, Mando.”_

In MTV, Migs expresses his sentiment twice, at the start with “Moff Gideon? Yeah, forget it. Just take me back to the scrapyard. I'm not doin' that.” and then when driving the Imp transport with a more direct “You think? You should've left me in prison!”  
  


Common Thread: Send me back to jail, for fuck’s sake!  
  
  


  1. **The ISB Hard Patch**



_Mayfeld started on the technical details “Because of the data shield surrounding the ship, we have to get a patch connection hardwired inside to broadcast. The ISB developed these shields so that nothing gets sent to or from that Acclamator without their knowledge. The patch will allow us to bounce the signal out of the ship undetected.”_

In MTV, Mayfeld once again explains the need for a hard patch “All right, but here's the thing. I can't get those coordinates unless I have access to an internal Imperial terminal.” He also explains who’s running the show, when he says “Well, because these Remnant bases are set up and run by ex-ISB.”  
  


Common Thread: Mayfeld explains the difficulty in the mission, that requires an internal hard patch from within the Imp stronghold. The enemy is ex-ISB, and their heightened security requires infiltration.

  1. **Breaking Up**



_“Cara, Mayfeld and I, will dock the Razor Crest and board here.” he started to lay out the plan with an overview “We’re going to patch into their data and steal it. The Trivium will get the signal, then we use the artillery it’s packing to cover our retreat and set off the bomb.”_

In MTV, Fennec and Boba explain they can’t go inside – so the female outlaw can’t go along.

Common Thread: The plan requires the team to split up and only certain members can go in. They’ll get away under cover of heavy fire.

  1. **Migs Back in Uniform**



_Mayfeld went first in a stolen Trooper uniform_

Common Thread: Infiltrating the lair in a stolen trooper uniform

  1. **The Mando and Cara doubt Mayfeld**



_The Mando realised he had been stupid to trust the Triggerman. If Mayfeld got caught, it was unlikely he would be welcomed back to the fold by the Imps, and Din couldn’t help but wonder how much torture he could take before cracking. If he was stuck on that ship with no way off, it was only a matter of time before he talked._

In MTV, Cara voices the concern with “No way. The minute he gets inside, he'll tip 'em off. He'll be a hero.”  
  
Common Thread: Obviously, but… it was enough to be called out specifically… they don’t trust the bastard

  1. **Philosophies of Perspective**



_“You people think you know me? Think I’m an asshole because of what you think you know? You hear about all the dirty shit done, and never stop to think about why it was done, whether we wanted to do it, or what else we’ve done with our lives! None of you have had the decency to ask for my side of the fucking story!”_

In MTV, Mayfeld says “Do you think all those people that died in wars fought by Mandalorians actually had a choice? So how are they any different than the Empire? If you were born on Mandalore, you believe one thing, if you're born on Alderaan, you believe somethin' else. But guess what? Neither one of 'em exist anymore.”

Common Thread: The bridge between Mayfeld and the new crew must be crossed, by coming to an understanding that everyone has their side of the story.

  1. **Beware Ye’ of Pirates**



_Simple and rugged folk, they thought themselves… Others don’t see it that way. Most people see lawless, inked-up, criminals. Simpletons, drunks, philanderers, scavengers and barbarians… Back water nothings._

Common Thread: Pirates, with bad reputations, and who look kind of primative…

_CORELLISI! OI! CORELLISI! OI! Rattle your spears and beat all the odds!_

Common Thread: carrying spears…

_This love of explosives gave the Empire a golden opportunity to paint them as terrorists…_

Common Thread: And determine to blow the shit out of everything with explosives…

_“Crew?!” Cara said incredulously “I am not flying with that! Have you seen her ink? She’s a damned bomber. She blows people up for fun! They’re crazy!”_

Are you shitting me? First time we really see Pirates in a filmic context and it’s in this episode!

Common Thread: Pirates and spears and explosives! Oh my! Such a bad reputation those back water, spear wielding, explosive loving, criminal, lawless, assholes have!

  1. **Ka-boom!**



_She could not afford to use heavy artillery in case she accidentally did blow up the ship. A ship that she now knew contained hundreds of innocent children, into which they had just hidden an insanely over-stacked bomb (which had the potential to wipe out everything in within a totally unpredictable blast radius)._

In BH, the Pirate needs to refrain from her default setting of ‘heavy fire’ in case she causes a catastrophic explosion, which would kill her crewmates and the captive children. In MTV, Mayfeld points out the dangers of the Pirate setting off the bomb, saying “Are you seriously shooting a blaster near rhydonium?”  
  


Common Thread: Don’t let the Pirate blow up the cargo, because everyone on board is going to die, and we don’t want that.

  1. **Call Abort!**



_Din: This was a mistake. We need to leave. Now!_

_…_

_Cara: We’re aborting…._

_Mayfeld: Aborting? Why!? The data’s going! We’ve got to blow this, or we’re exposed! What’s the problem?_

In BH, Din calls to abort mission, and Mayfeld argues. In MTV it’s reversed when Mayfeld says “I can't do it, okay? We have to abort. I'm sorry.” And Din argues “If we don't get those coordinates, I'll lose the kid forever.”

Common Thread: The mission of stealth is thwarted by unforeseen complications, and hence, a call to abort is made by one of the pair.

  1. **The Unsolvable Riddle and a Crisis of Conscience**



_“We need him. The child needs him!” barked Tur “We can’t just let him die.”_

In BH, this is expressed as Cara stumbling across a ship full of captive, imprisoned children. They have to abort, but then the hard choice has to be made to leave Mayfeld to die (or worse be made to talk by the Imps), or to go back for him. When Turhaya points out to Din, Grougu may need Mayfeld, the Mando relents and goes back.

In MTV, well… The Mandalorian makes the ultimate hard choice… beautifully… and removes his helmet to complete the mission.

Common Thread: Din Djarin choosing to do the right thing for the sake of Grogu, despite the fact this involves a complication concerning Mayfeld and his status as an ex-Imp

  1. **Migs Shows His Colours**



_“You have a greener heart than you give yourself credit for. You risked everything for The Kid. Thank you. You didn’t have to. The job’s not exactly paying well if you don’t count spotchka.”_

Common Thread: Migs really has a heart of gold, and does all the right things by the Mando, the crew, and Grogu.

  1. **Busted!**



_If they had known who that pesky vermin was, they may have hunted him down with more urgency._

In MTV, Mayfeld is also risking his identity being uncovered.

Common Thread: Mayfeld’s former identity, if known, could cause a problematic shit storm.

  1. **Imperial Burning**



_Until one day, when she was 16 years old. That was the day her Clan called Burning Day._

_The Empire had no heart. The camp was burned to ash. All transport and communications were destroyed. The survivors were forced to scatter on foot, and the only way to anywhere was through the wilderness. It would take months to find all the survivors, and they were far too few._

In MTV, Mayfeld offers “How 'bout a toast to Operation Cinder?” which took place in ‘Burnin Konn’.

Common Thread: A horrific tale of Empire genocide is told, during a not-so-pleasant reminiscence that the Mando hears from a witness to the ‘Burning’ event (and I mean – look at the names used!)

  1. **Back in the Game**



_Bera: If Gideon gets power, he will waste no time restarting his extermination program. Old Clan will be at the top of the list. We always are._

In BHEP2, Bera knows the Imps will be back on the extermination warpath very soon. In, MTV, Valin Hess says “The New Republic is in complete disarray, and we grow stronger. You see, with the rhydonium you've delivered, we can create havoc that's gonna make Burnin Konn just pale by comparison.”  
  


Common Thread: The Imps will be back at it, and it will be Burning Day all over again. Probably worse.

  1. **Fight your way out**



_*BLASTER FIRE***********************************************_

_Mayfeld: Fuck! I’m blown! Party’s over!!!..._

_They were supposed to be hiding, and not killing, but with Mayfeld already compromised and the child at risk, they had little choice._

Common Thread: Wouldn’t be a gripping tale, without Mayfeld getting into a fire fight, and shit hitting the fan on the way out, would it?

  1. **Dropper to the Rescue**



_Cara: Hey! Assholes!_

_*BLASTER FIRE***************************************************************_

_Din: Move it, Mayfeld!_

_*BLASTER FIRE. SCREAMING***************************************************_

_*Running*****_

_Mayfeld: About fucking time, Tin Can! Thanks for the bail out._

In MTV, Cara and Fennec cover Mando and Migs as they haul ass the fuck out of there!

Common Thread: Cara saves Mayfeld, by covering his ass and helping to escape with the Mando

  1. **Get Away Driver**



_Tur: Mayfeld! Move your ass! Your ride is coming!_

In BHS, it’s on a ship, so the only way out is dropping in on a hatch, but it’s still a pick up by the Crest. In MTV, Boba says, “You get to the roof. I'll drop in and pull you out.”  
  


Common Thread: They plan an external pick up by a Mando ship, from the exterior, directly to the structure.

  1. **TIEd Game**



_While the Crest found the Triggerman, it would be the Pirate that would play the bait. Predictably, TIE fighters came barrelling out of the dock._

Common Thread: …chased by TIE fighters, and…

  1. **Heavy Artillery**



_Hit that shit right, and you’ll light up the night sky with an explosion so big, it’ll fire your jetpack up just watching it!_

In BH, a Star Destroyer shows up, necessitating the Trivium to rip it a new one. The Pirate drops an insane amount of proton bombs, then fucks off. In MTV, Boba covers the retreat with a bigger-than-necessary explosion.

Common Thread: …end in an epic explosion which you drop from your ship!

  1. **What did we get?**



_Bera hadn’t been able to decrypt most of the ISB data, which he found alarming since Clan could hack almost anything. There was nothing about The Kid, but there were some logs which showed locations that Gideon was prone to frequenting._

In MTV, we already know “We need coordinates for Moff Gideon's cruiser.”

Common Thread: The data taken from the heist is Gideon’s co-ordinates.

  1. **Nice Shooting, Migs**



_“I can’t believe we’re still alive after that. I have to admit - that was some mighty fine work you did on mission.” She gave him one of her trademark grins._

_“I can’t get over what you two did today either. That was impressive. I’ll never forget the sight of you covered in blood, mowing down those Imps to help me escape.”_

Common Thread: The rescue impresses the Dropper and the Triggerman, causing tensions, which leads to Dune flirting with Mayfeld (you know it happened) when she compliments him, saying “That was some nice shootin' back there.”

  1. **Mando Revealed**



_Din hastily pulled on pants, grabbed his gear, popped The Kid in the carrier, and made to leave._

In BH, Din strips to his helmet at the hot pools as the crew try and relax. In MTV, Mayfeld cops an eyeful of a different kind.

Common Thread: Din is physically exposed to his crew.

  1. **Personal Exposure**



_Din said “I told you, Mayfeld. Razor Crest Radio...” but he was now holding out his hand in truce._

_“Fuck you, Tin Can. I’m going to kill you.” said Mayfeld with a smile, as walked up to Din and shook his hand. They were even._

In BH, the boys nastily prank each other by broadcasting each other’s sex lives.

In MTV, Migs mends the bridge by saying, in a beautiful moment…

_“You did what you had to do. I never saw your face.”  
  
_

Common Thread: Mayfeld and Din get over their shit, due to personal and very private exposure, causing awkwardness and embarrassment. But it ultimately reveals their true characters.

  1. **Dead Man Walking**



_Cara: OK, we stay on mission. Let’s get to the Crest and get out of here. I guess this is the end of the line for Mayfeld._

In BH, they consider leaving Mayfeld to die in order to ensure Grogu’s safety. Cara announces this decision in BHCH20, but they end up changing their mind and saving him. In MTV, Cara says “You know, it's too bad Mayfeld didn't make it out alive back there.”  
  


Common Thread: The important question of what to do about Mayfeld. Should he live or die? Mayfeld may be a dead man walking, but eventually his crew makes the right choice to help him.

  1. **Free Migs**



_Mayfeld said “You’re the only one who wanted to come back for me.”_

_“Reason three - you’re a hell of a friend.”_

Common Thread: The Triggerman walks away a friend and a free man.

This last point, above all others, is the most important point for me. Beskar Heart was the first creative writing thing I’d done, and so I had no process. But I believe in good characters and good story, and that all-important, and powerful Force – love. I wanted characters to end up in places in their hearts, and not on a map, and so the ‘human moments’ came first, and the plot tied it together.

If Mayfeld walks away a free man, and a friend, then that was the whole damned point of the exercise. And if in doing so, the Mando and Migs come to some understandings along the way - about humanity, sacrifice, perspective and empathy – then all the better for it.

What can you make of all this? Who the fuck knows? Maybe my first writing endeavour can’t have been all that shit, and maybe I’m not entirely insane?

In the least, Favreau should congratulate me on my accidental predictive skills, don’t you think?

**#BeskarHeart #ThePirateWasRight**


	4. The Grogu Eggs 3: The Rescue

An in-depth look at the similarities between chapter 16 – “The Rescue” – and Beskar Heart.

_The truth about gunslingers is we never want them to find ‘happily ever after’, even when we want them to find happiness. The nameless, faceless anti-hero, who walks into the sunset day after day. Ceaseless. Relentless. Ever vigilant. Tortured, yet somehow at peace. Driven, yet oddly contented. Alone, yet always adored._

_For the gunslinger, the dreary captivity of retirement holds no pleasure at all, and a predator who cannot hunt will starve and die. For us, the idea that their tale will end holds no pleasure either._

_We want them to burn forever, bringing light and hope to the furthest corners of the galaxy._

_We want them to take their place among the gods who are born in the bloody tales of men._

_We want them to become legends._

_\- Closing Paragraph (Beskar Heart – ‘The Legend’)_

What a fucking finale that was. My hats off to everyone on The Mandalorian team for another beautiful season. And my thanks.

“And of course, I killed Gideon, but I kind of had to…”

Yes, I contradicted myself when I wrote the last chapter, but I don’t think anyone expected half the events of the season 2 final episode.

Here we are, back again, looking at comparisons. This time, chapter 16 of The Mandalorian TV Series (MTV) takes its common threads from the back third of Beskar Heart (BH). The last three sections – Part 3: Legend of the Lone Dropper, Part 4: Din Djarin Unchained, and Part 5: The Good, The Bad, and The Empire.

  1. **Imperial Cruiser**



_He was faced with not one, but three Star Destroyers_

There are plenty of Imperial Cruisers in BH, but I like the fact that the final showdown with Gideon kicks off with a chase by a Star Destroyer. In MTV, the ship heist more closely mirrors the second attempt at the Acclamator job in BH, but there are elements from the encounter with Gideon (in Grogu’s cell) which align more with the final showdown in BH.

Common Thread: Storming an Imperial Cruiser

  1. **Taking a stab at Alderaan.**



_“You’re from Alderaan!” Han sparked up “You know just as well as Leia what the worst looks like! I used to be afraid to be involved, but to actually turn away help when it’s offered freely by your friends is insane!”_

In MTV, the Imp pilot takes a stab at Cara about Alderaan, resulting in him losing his life, and Dr Pershing losing an ear.

Common Thread: Don’t bring up the Alderaan thing…

****

  1. **Two ships jump together**



_“We’ll stow the Trivium inside the Eravana, then make the jump.” said Han_

Not every day you see two ships in hyperspace at once in a convoy.

Common Thread: Jumping through hyperspace in a group

  1. **Kick down the door**



_Twelve War Dog ships, with the Dropper in charge, Kicked down the front door to the place_

The attack on the Cruiser in MTV was far from subtle…

Common Thread: The plan involves forced entry this time, not stealth. We’re barging our way in, Sir.

  1. **The Dropper**



_The shock trooper’s bravery led the brigade, And she set out to make the place burn…_

Dank farrik! That was one hell of a fire fight Cara…

Common Thread: Cara Dune makes the Imps pay… for everything…

  1. **The Crew of Four**



_While the Dogs worked away to free every child, The Dropper took care of the fight. Triggerman, Bomber and Mando in tow, The Death Goddess showed them her might._

In BHS, the complexity of the hell machine requires the team splitting up. In MTV, we get “Very well. We split into two parties.”

While we don’t get a Triggerman, Bomber and Mando in tow, we get an Assassin and two Mandos following Cara Dune. Bo-Katan explains, saying “Koska, Fennec, Dune and myself disembark with maximum initiative.”  
  


Common Thread: The four-person crew is going to use maximum initiative.

  1. **Pirates**



_The Pirate work done, and the children all free, It was now time to make the real war…_

In BH, the whole Pirate Clan turns up to lend a hand. In MTV, we didn’t get Pirates, but when Boba’s ship takes Dr Pershing, the Imp pilot says “They're pirates.”

Common Thread: Once again we get a reference to Pirates… more specifically that our crew of heroes are the Pirates themselves.

  1. **Storm the Blockade**



****

_The advancing fighters meant that Tur had to tactically fly to avoid being taken out. With all the dodging and cannon fire, they didn’t need the barrel rolls because the YT sprayed death at the blockade without relent. Every shot, every roll, every dodged disaster brought them one step closer to the Mando. The hunt was on._

In BH, there’s a blockade of TIEs to bust through in order to find Din Djarin. In MTV, there’s that whole thing with TIEs and clearing the launch tube…

Common Thread: You’re going to have to shoot your way through a wall of TIEs to reach your objective.

****

  1. **Separate Din from the Herd**



_It was the thought of Din facing Gideon and his goon troops alone, that left the uncomfortable shards of ice floating through her otherwise hot-blooded veins._

Thematically, it’s important for Din to face Gideon alone…

_I want to separate the Mandalorian from the others._

In BH, Gideon separates Din from the others. Well, almost… In BH, Din sneaks off on his own too, falling into Gideon’s trap. Cara recounts it on Corellia:

_Din, the sneaky bastard, had given them the slip at Coronet, leaving her stuck with Mayfeld and the baby._

In MTV, Din plans to go to find Grogu alone, but this inadvertently plays into Gideon’s hands, because The Moff is trying to keep the Dark Sabre out of Bo-Katan’s hands.

Common Thread: Din will face Gideon alone, because the Mando has planned it that way. Unfortunately, this plays right into Gideon’s schemes.

  1. **Counting down the firepower**



_He stood back and let his personal guard deal with the Mandalorian. If every one of them fell, it mattered not. If they weakened him for the final blow, it was good enough. Din Djarin was confident. Too confident._

_He watched the Mando exhaust his disintegration charges. Run out his flame thrower. Use the last of his whistling birds. Tire himself out fighting with his blaster. With every enemy he took out, the fool weakened himself._

In BH, Gideon watches Din take out his personal guard of Troopers. He knows he’s out of ammo. In MTV, Gideon watches Din take out the Dark Troopers and says “A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your wrist launcher has fired its one and only salvo.”

Common Thread: Gideon watched you take out his Troopers and he’s going to use his knowledge of your limited arms to his advantage. Cue confrontation…

  1. **Breaking Dad**



_The children were chosen – special and rare. Strong in the ways of the Force. The Empire was draining their life for a price. Their personal dark power source._

It’s not surprising from what we learned in season 1 that Grogu’s powers were what the Empire was after…

_The Mando’s insistence in personally taking the child everywhere was also going to work in his favour._

But I was nicely surprised by Gideon using the “take him…” bluff to draw in the Mando.

In BHS, Gideon counts on Din’s bond with the child to play into his favour. In MTV, Din stupidly falls for the oldest trick in the book…

Common Thread: Gideon uses fatherly love as strategy against Din Djarin.

  1. **Gideon Strikes**



_The black blade struck its mark. The beskar cried out its ringing, pained response. The bounty hunter fell..._

Common Thread: Yep. That’s pretty much how it happened.

  1. **Victory by Spear**



_The Imp was taken completely surprise when the retractable spear crashed through his spine_

So, it wasn’t the spear which caused Gideon’s death in MTV, but it brought about his demise and changed ownership of the Dark Sabre.

Common Thread: Gideon loses the Dark Sabre by an act of spear.

  1. **I own what now?...**



_Din saw it. The Dark Sabre. It was a unique blade. Distinctly Mandalorian – angular and precise. It was a thing of beauty, but it was also an instrument of death and pain. This weapon had once been the pride of his Creed, but it was now the symbol of their doom. His doom._

Well, no one was surprised to see the Dark Sabre turn up in season 2, but…

_…and apparently (according to Han) the Dark Sabre is legally mine!_

In BH, the Pirate is just trying to save the Mando’s life, and inadvertently ends up with claim to the Dark Sabre. In MTV, Din is just trying to meet Bo-Katan’s requirements, when he inadvertently claims the weapon.

Common Thread: Oh, shit. I think I just claimed the fucking Dark Sabre by accident…

****

  1. **I Yield**



_The Sixth Action is to rally to our leader, the great Mand’alor, when called to fight. Part of the reason I am so keen to see the Dark Sabre back in the hands of House Vizsla._

But of course, Din doesn’t want to keep the Dark Sabre, he wants it back where it belongs. So does everyone else. In MTV Bo-Katan explains “I will kill the Moff and retake what is rightfully mine. With the Dark sabre restored to me, Mandalore will finally be within reach.”

Common Thread: I don’t want this damned thing. I’d much rather see it where it belongs and see Mandalore restored.

****

  1. **Death of Gideon**



_It was kill of huge importance, but she didn’t drink today._

In BH, Gideon shoots Din first, and waits for the crew to arrive. They are too busy trying to save the Mando’s life, and Gideon dies with little fanfare and is quickly forgotten. In MTV, Gideon fires first, and is finally put out of his misery, but in the emotional ending, his death means little.

Common Thread: In the commotion of the Mando and his helmet coming off, everyone quite forgot that fuckwit Gideon. Still, he shot a Mando first, and got what was coming to him – death.

  1. **The X-Wings are coming**



_Unknown: Hey, Gold Leader! I was wondering when you two hairy morons were going to show up to your own party._

In BH, Wedge and his X-Wing buddies turn up, but they are vastly outnumbered by TIEs. Well, we know what happened in MTV, and Cara remarks that there’s only one X-Wing (which isn’t much help – although it turns out the pilot is more help than we could have hoped for).

Common Thread: Your X-Wing salvation may seem woefully inadequate, Cara, but trust me – it’ll get the job done.

  1. **Finding Luke Skywalker**



_“If your shitty wiring job can’t take a little love tap from me, it’s going to be completely useless when a blaster bolt hits it. Why don’t you let me fix it? I’ll cram it with so much tech, you’ll be able to hear Luke Skywalker’s farts from the other side of the galaxy.”_

Joking about Din and Grogu finding Luke Skywalker is one, thing but…

_They also had Dagobah as another clue, and if anyone found Luke Skywalker…._

We were hoping to really find him one day. Thank you MTV!

Common Thread: Din and Grogu hope to find Luke Skywalker…

  1. **Jedi contacting Jedi**



_It was said that the Jedi could use the Force to reach beyond the grave. Din had a hard time accepting this, but his wife believed that gods were often born of man, just as the gods made men themselves. If Skywalker could communicate with Yoda, they may get all their answers at once._

In BH, Din realises that if he finds Luke Skywalker, he may get his answers, if Luke can contact Yoda. In MTV, Grogu contacts Luke, and well…

Common Thread: Contact between Luke and a little green Jedi is going to provide Din Djarin with all his answers.

  1. **The Revelation**



_Cara: I can’t believe I finally get to know what you look like!_

In BHS, Mayfeld and Cara are shown the Pirate’s journal, which contains sketches of Din Djarin. By the end of the story, both Mayfeld and Cara have seen Din’s ‘face’.

Common Thread: Cara, after all her loyal time as a friend, finally gets to see Din Djarin’s face.

  1. **Din Djarin Wept**



_There would be no bounty today. No miracle to save him from the crushing weight of the Mudhorn that was pressing its grief on his heart. Din Djarin_ _wept._

In BH, Din grieves in the Bacta Tank for the loss of his helmet. In MTV, Din removes his helmet and grieves for the loss of Grogu.

I must say, I like the MTV way better…

Common Thread: The Mando sheds a tear for the loss of something important to him.

  1. **Jabba’s Palace**



_The Guild wanted a scapegoat, and they weren’t willing to compromise their operation on Tatooine by pointing fingers at the Hutts, even if the cartel was on their last legs…_

_…One of the boys somehow came back from Tatooine with Bera’s ship, still loaded with cargo. He went to find out the word with the Guild and the Hutts, and in the chaos that was brewing there, everyone had forgotten about the cargo, so he lifted the ship without anyone knowing who did it._

In BHEP3, Tur recounts the kidnapping of her brother, and the unexpected good fortune of the Clan reclaiming the ransom from the fat bastard in the aftermath of the chaos. In MTV, we get an epilogue of sorts, where Fett goes back to Tatootine to shoot that bastard Bib Fortuna of the big guy’s chair.

Common Thread: How about an epilogue in which Boba Fett makes a come-back, we end up back at Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine, and the fat bastard on the throne gets his come-uppance (redistributing the spoils to more worthy causes)? Let’s waltz on into the Hutt stronghold, and one of the Mando’s friends is going to snatch themselves up some valuable property.

If I were to ask the Pirate what she thought of the events of season 2, she'd agree with me on a number of things. Least of all, that we're proud of Din Djarin, and support his most gravest and bravest choices for Grogu's sake. The man has a stupendously green heart, and we respect him even more for it. As for the removal of his helmet, well, Clan believe a few things - foremost of those 'Clan above all' and 'Each's own master'. While these thoughts seem contradictory at first (funny that...), the first requires we always look out for each other, and the second tells us to heed the whisperings of our own soul, remembering we are always the master of our own choices. We're backing the Triggerman on this one - Din did what he had to do, and Holy Hondo, did he it do it spectacularly.

Directly to Din Djarin, the Pirate will only say this: _"You know."_


	5. The Birth of Beskar

This chapter contains notes on the various references and inspirations behind Beskar Heart.

**Titles**

Part Titles – All from western movies:

  * The Ballad of a Sad Old Dog -The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. You can’t be top dog forever. A six part movie nicely aligns to the Resol’nare.
  * Red River Adventures of a Triggerman – Red River. Not so much about the film… more of a description of the river references within the story, and an allusion to a river of blood, as the part contains much symbolic bloodshed, (and blood drinking).
  * Legend of the Lone Dropper - Legend of the Lone Ranger. The ‘sidekick’ steps into the pilot’s seat, as Cara takes control of the Mando’s mess.
  * Din Djarin Unchained – Django Unchained. Our hero is about to suffer, and we’re looking for revenge.
  * The Good, The Bad, And The Empire - The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. It’s up for you to decide who is who. But in this section our hero becomes legend, and transcends into his own tale, and I admit I had both the dollars trilogy and Rango in mind, thinking about the man with no name.



Chapter Titles - “The”everything, like the Mando TV series. Some were just descriptive, others were inspired:

  * The Hound Tooth and The Helmet – The Trandoshan bounty hunter, Bossk, owned a ship called the Hound’s Tooth. One of the ship’s features is a well-positioned bridge that gives a commanding view. The Helmet (being repaired) is also an instrument of clear sight. Pretty thematic for two people finding out how they feel about each other, huh?
  * The Doors – from The Dark Tower (see below)
  * The Song of Carasynthia Dune – This was going to be an ‘ode’, but rather than make it a poem, it became a song. This adds nuance to “Corellisi! Oi!” and “Rattle your spears!” because they become both musical and military commands.
  * The Smoke on The Water – yeah, that was a shitty bong joke.
  * The Hidden Snare – from Watership Down (see below)
  * The Wild Bunch – from the movie. Yiiii Haaaa!!
  * The Quick and The Dead – from the movie, because I wanted to make a stand-off / shoot-out reference. Technically the three POV scene is an homage to the stand-off at the end of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but I’d already used that. At any rate, The Quick and The Dead describes what plays out in the chapter a little better
  * The Revelation – biblical reference for Din’s resurrection from the Bacta Tank
  * The Legend – to Mr Clint Eastwood, I tip my non-existent cowboy hat, as we learn the truth about gunslinger tales



  
** Folk Songs **

The three songs in the Ship Transcript epilogue were chosen for their different times and origins. Apart from the obvious in the lyrics you should know:  
  


  * Devil & The Huntsman - this is based off a traditional English folk song called The Wild, Wild Berry. The original song is about deathly nightshade, which is also an allegory for love. It seemed fitting that a song originally about love killing you, be in a chapter about Tur almost killing herself
  * Cumberland Gap - an American folk song about facing grave peril for the promise of great reward for your suffering. Fitting for the life journey the ‘two sides of our chit’ are going to face
  * I Was Only 19 - a modern Australian song about Vietnam. Apt for the subject matter being discussed by the trio



** Such is life **

My nod to Ned Kelly… and a bit of social commentary...

_Tur: It’s exhausting, you know._

_Bera: What?_

_Tur: Having to continually prove yourself to everyone. Being judged on nothing than rumours and appearances._

_Bera: Such is life._

_Tur: Still sucks. Seems the only people standing up for the oppressed these days are the oppressed people themselves._

**They’re a Weird Mob**

One of the first adult novels I recall reading was _They’re a Weird Mob_. It’s an Australian novel written in 1957 and deals with the struggles and funny tales of an Italian immigrant trying to make his way in Australia.

Yeah, I know – bizarre book for a young girl to go reading in the late 1980’s, but I found it fascinating, and if you ever come across the movie adaptation, I highly recommend watching it.

Reading that book had a great impact on me. It was written by an Australian bloke called John O’Grady. However, he published under his ‘pen name’ which was “Nino Cullotta” – the main character of the story. So, when you read _They’re a Weird Mob_ , it’s like you’re reading Nino’s story directly from him. Obviously, that became the inspiration behind writing this as ‘Turhaya’.

There was another literary device I very much wanted to use from _They’re a Weird Mob –_ writing in an accent. Example – ‘Wodda yer want?’ Of course, if you’re a book reader, you’ll have come across characters in books, like Rubeus Hagrid, who talk with an accent that is baked into the writing.

So in _They’re a Weird Mob,_ the Aussies have this baked in, which adds to the hilarity when our poor main character, Nino, tires to understand them. As the book goes along, and Nino gets used to the accent, O’Grady actually starts to write it out! It’s a beautiful technique to show how Nino starts to fit in over time with his Aussie mates.

Well, I attempted doing that… Based off my own speech patterns… Then abandoned all hope after I realised that my accent was so atrocious…That it became unreadable! Still, I will never forget the wonderful experience of discovering this writing technique in _They’re a Weird Mob._

One last thing I also tried to lean on from this book - the humble, honest, truthful, playful and respectful way in which Australians were portrayed. Even when writing about our larrikin ways, bad habits and less palatable social traits, O’Grady treated his fellow Aussies with a level of mateship and fair play, which we love to think of as being synonymous with our country. I hope I’ve been able to treat the Hundteth Clan with the same candid, but respectful, care.

** Harry Potter **  
  


Harry Potter means the world to me. I edit a Potter podcast, have written character analysis pieces, and have re-read the series more times than I can count.

Not only that, but it was there for me in my darkest hours, and (like quite a few readers) it literally saved my life – keeping my head above water when I was drowning and struggling, and didn’t retain any hope for myself. Lily Potter’s denouncement of Snape as a friend in Deathly Hallows sparked my salvation, and taught me that it is OK to walk away from a relationship when I felt my values were compromised.

My mother sent me Deathly Hallows for my 30th birthday, right when I was at a low point. At the time I was living far from both my parents, and felt completely alone, and frightened. That book showed me that I still had support and love out there, and no matter how dysfunctional my life had become, _there was still a Way_.

That quiet, understated, act of love was exactly who my mother is, and her gift gave me hope. Hope gave me purpose, and direction, and a way out of my situation.

Thanks, Mum.

Beskar Heart brings up a lot of questions about _how_ you love another person. Bera’s question in the Ship Transcript epilogue of “What’s so different? Love is love.” is met by a reasonably straightforward answer by the Mando, the basic thread being that Din needed someone who could truly love him for _who he was_ – not despite his Creed, but because of it. Anything you treasure (be it principles, family or a weapons-based religion) becomes part of who you are, when it is reflected through your core values.

Like Lily with Snape, and based on my own experiences, I felt Din did not have to compromise. I wanted him to find the woman with a beskar heart, who would always support his every move, no matter how strange, brutal or barbaric it seemed.

The Potter series appears largely in the alchemical symbolism. That started as an unconscious choice, but one I leant on, once I realised what I was doing. So most of the Potter stuff was to do with Din Djarin being ‘reborn’ in a larger thematic sense. You can read more about that in The Author's journey, and if you get a taste for alchemical symbolism, you might enjoy [The Alchemical Mandalorian: Analysis of Literary Alchemy and Symbolism](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832811). but in short:

  * Part 1 is the nigredo - it's full of dirt, destruction, and black imagery (think ink)
  * Part 2 is the albedo - it's full of water and cleansing references (also 'release' references - sex ones)
  * Parts 3, 4 and 5 are the rubedo - 3 and 4 are the alchemical wedding of female and male, 3 being wind imagery, and 4 being fire (albeit blaster fire), and 5 is the coalescence of the philosopher's stone and the rebirth



More consciously, in the plot:

  * The Blockade tactics employed by Han are a direct nod to the seven Harry’s leaving Privet Drive in Deathly Hallows. Friends and love being key to survival. 
  * Potter Heads will also see a lot of Voldemort in Gideon’s villain dialogue. Most notably the parts about power being something which is seized, and not having allies to save you.
  * Lastly, Din’s rebirth in the Bacta tank is a reference to Harry being in King’s Cross station after he sacrificed himself to save those he loved.



Also, I felt a dire need to put meaning in the two new character names. The meaning of 'Turhaya' is explained, as comes from the Corellian language (Legends). But 'Bera' and 'Hundteth' were both names which came from old English. 'Hundeth' was explained (hound and teeth put together) but 'Bera' means bear. The bear being a symbol of Odin’s berserkers, and synonymous with a grumpy, yet intimidating demeanour, I thought it was a good fit.

Lastly, there's the language. I know this story will be peppered with JKR phrasings, but two in particular stand out. No one except me would notice, they are so subtle, but they are tiny scraps of evidence to that point to how Pottered my brain has become.

Din calls Tur a “brash know-it-all” which was a take on the scene where Snape calls Hermione an “insufferable know-it-all”. In the book, Ron, who is noted as calling Hermione a know-it-all at least once a day, gets particularly indignant about it. It’s an interaction which shows Ron and Hemione’s feelings for each other well before either of them realises themselves. Likewise, as they plan the Akk hunt, the Pirate and the Mando are still blind to their own feelings.

The other Potter reference which made me chuckle, and was of no importance whatsoever, was referring to Burg as ‘gormless’ in the chapter The Doors. That’s a direct reference to Goyle, and boy did I think about Malfoy and his cronies, the whole time I wrote about Mayfeld and his crew.

The single dumbest thing I borrowed from Potter, was writing in elements which changed on a second reading. Stupid. Who the fuck reads fanfic twice? Oh well, it kept me amused...

** Watership Down **

Big Wig was always a huge influence on me, and the character I adore most from one of my favourite books. Again there are themes of sacrifice, and mateship, and fighting wars you probably won’t win. 

Tur, covered in dirt and blood on the killing floor, while she stared down the Akk Dog, was Big Wig standing his ground against General Woundwort when the Honeycomb is taken. A fight our courageous rabbit hero knows he probably won’t win for himself (he expects to die) but he can win for his warren (by buying them time). 

Din’s reaction to seeing Tur alive, and the licking of his lips in disgust also come from here. When Big Wig gets caught in the snare, he is covered in blood and dirt (again). The other rabbits are initially afraid of the sight of him, because Big Wig looks so haggard and monstrous. One of them licks their lips in revulsion. This is why the Mando asks Tur why she wanted to sacrifice herself during their game of Tell Me. She denies it, but Big Wig points the way to the Pirate’s willingness to die for someone she loves.

(Owning up time - I once had a pretty horrific car accident which also inspired small parts of the sled crash. Thankfully, I got out largely unscathed, but I was covered in dog kibble and air bag dust. It's a long story... Tur sitting silently, covered in dirt by the fire at the pools, eating her mushroom-laden broth... is the equivalent of me sitting and eating a sausage roll, still covered in itchy dust, and stinking like a dog's breakfast.)

The Hidden Snare is titled from Big Wig’s struggle in the wire, and the false security the rabbits get in the warren of snares. A hint that Din is walking into a much bigger conspiracy, and far more danger, than he thinks.

**The Dark Tower Series**

Stephen King's huge fictional opus is the SINGLE BIGGEST INFLUENCE on Beskar Heart. 

For starters, the format was very much inspired by it. The largest nod to the Dark Tower series was the overall concept of using 'campfire tales' and dialogue to carry the story. Much like the first Dark Tower (The Gunslinger) where the first part of the book is Roland telling the stranger (Brown) about where he had been. For most of it, you tend to forget the whole first section of Beskar Heart is Din telling Cara where the fuck he’s been for four weeks.

Beskar Heart was always going to end up a little meta, smashing it's fists on the fourth wall every now and then. So this kind of became the story, within the Pirate's story... and in the telling of pasts and histories, I wanted the Pirate and the Mando for a large part to tell their own tales, and not jump back and forth in time, or dream about them or anything stupid like that. I wanted them to get to know each other the old fashioned way - talking to each other.

So this is all about _dialogue._ When it comes the first part of the story in particular, much is set around fires, or kitchen tables. The two places I mostly associate with deep and meaningful discussions of the personal kind. If you look at Ballad of a Sad Old Dog - apart from the Akk sequence and a brief deer hunt, very little happens. But there is an awful lot of things being discussed by the fire. Even the hot pools has fireside moments, and the only game really played (apart from the nasty game of Sabacc with the Pirate's heart) is a game called **_Tell Me._**

The “ka-tet” of five: the gunslinger, the woman, the prisoner, the kid, and the animal (who barks “Oi!”) was the next most important aspect. There are five parts to Beskar Heart's main story, and even though it's technically a three part tale, the split into five gives us one section for each character. If you look at the relationships between the five players, we get some similarities (not all of these started intentionally, I might add). They are all drawn in by the gunslinger (Din / Roland) who's first encounter is with an unexpected, strange young boy named Jake, who he forms an intense and unique relationship with. Jake and Oy become a little interchangeable with The Kid (Grogu) and the Pirate. In Beskar Heart, the unexpected relationship forms with the Pirate, and she is (slightly) more human than Grogu. On the other hand, Din does (in the TV series) meet Grogu first, and Grogu IS the kid (while Turhaya is definitely an animal, and you can't escape the dog like qualities of the Billy Bumbler OR the Pirate). The woman (Cara / Suzannah) ends up having a relationship with the prisoner (Mayfeld / Eddie).

The ka-tet drove 'The Doors' at the start of Part Two, as Din Djarin's 'drawing of three' comes to a conclusion. Although you won't find orbs or roses, there are an awful lot of DOORS, which is most certainly thematically deliberate.

You may also note a nod to “the crimson king”, in Tur’s teasing of Mayfeld, and as always in Mid-World, beware of the man in black.

**Red Dead Redemption 2**

Let's start by admitting I flogged this game for a year straight in the lead up to season 1 of the Mando. If it wasn't for writing, I'd be finished my second play through by now (I am so close to getting that Legend of the East Satchel, it's not funny).

Structurally, this is where the journal sprang from. Including the idea of having sketches in the epilogue. In fact the buck sketch is one of many I did on a Red Dead bender (along with a rather nice racoon and grizzly). Because this tale is all about stories within stories, the journal (and Tur being a record keeper of sorts) became another way of expressing that. Arthur Morgan's journal, book and document collecting provide a great richness to the game I really appreciated, and I hadn't been struck by gaming story like that since Final Fantasy 7 (showing my age there).

Arthur's mercurial honour level in the game, and the fact you choose whether you play the game good or bad, was also a big influence on how I wrote Din Djarin. After looking into Mando culture, I realised Din viewed things differently to the rest of us, and his differing moral code (informed by the Way) sometimes leads to choices the viewer (and in this case, the reader) may find questionable. So, I wasn't afraid to have bloodlust or necessary cruelty (or revenge) in a story, if I felt a character's own moral code might allow that choice. Part of the reason was experiencing the different ways in which people play Red Dead, and how 'seriously' they take following the honour code. It's interesting that both courses of action can be just as lucrative.

But it was busting Micha Bell out of jail the second time around, that really got my attention. I'd been hunting. ALOT (just like the Pirate). So while I was still a bit off with sidearms at that stage, I was DEADLY with the old Springfield rifle. I tore Strawberry a new one... And it was so much fun... Not only did I decide I didn't dislike Micha as much as I thought I did, but the Pirate became totally in favour of busting people out of the clink who she doesn't particularly like, but kind of needs (and good thing too, because we needed Mayfeld). Since I wasn't shitting my pants on this playthrough (because I knew what I had to do) I also remembered what it was like to take joy in chaos. Tatooine sized chaos. I also have to admit that Sadie reminded me it was OK to be a rough nut and a rebel, a gift I thought I'd pass on to Turhaya, too.


	6. The Wookie Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section for Star Wars world building and other miscellaneous things

This section explains some of the choices made in relation to Star Wars elements. Plus some other random garbage I didn't think warranted it's own section...

Since I owe much of what I know to Wookiepedia, this is the "Wookie Book".

**Let them die**

_“To honour what you fight for? To respect your life’s work? Yes, I would have let you die.”_

I first saw Empire Strikes back when I was about 5 or 6 years old, and it was the first time I consciously remember being aware that there are things in the world worth dying for. Things that seemingly ordinary men and women were willing to risk everything to protect. Yoda taught me that. When the little green Jedi master begs Luke not to leave, and to finish his training, Luke argues the point. Young Skywalker asks Yoda if he is seriously suggesting he let Vader kills his friends. 

**Luke** : And sacrifice Han and Leia?

 **Yoda** : **If you honour what they fight for** , **yes.**

If you honour what they fight for... If you want to respect their Way, their beliefs, their passions and their dedication... If you truly love them for everything they are, and everything they do... Yes... Let them die.

Because no one is laying down their life for trivial shit. No one is risking all for a cheeseburger. People sacrifice themselves for the things they cherish more than their own lives. And if you really understand that, you may see things a little differently.

But, as the Pirate would say "Sometimes things are worth fighting for, and sometimes they’re worth dying for. The irony is anything worth dying for, is also probably driving you to stay alive."

What a complete mind-fuck.

**The Trivium**

Being a Corellian, Tur got a good, solid Corellian ship, and I picked the YT-2400 for two reasons. Firstly, the Millennium Falcon was a YT, so that was easy. Second, it just looked damned good on the technical specs. Basically, I chose it the same way I'd buy a car. I needed a single pilot ship, good for a solo outlaw who like to customise everything, blow shit up, and fly fast. And with a bit of research at my options, the Trivium was a lock.

The name Trivium comes from a band! I love heavy metal, and I love Trivium. They are under-rated, hard working, technically brilliant, and always touring about. Very apt. I saw somewhere that a YT was called The Slipknot, and after screaming "Shit! It's taken!" immediately thought "Hang about, naming it after a metal band is still a good idea..."

'Trivium' is Latin for 'the place where three roads meet'. Seemingly apt for the Mudhorn Clan which was about to become three. It's also one part of the seven liberal arts of classical antiquity. OK this is getting geeky but on one hand you've got the Quadrivium (the higher arts) of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. But those were built on the Trivium (the lower arts) of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Tur Hundteth being a problem solver, it seemed to fit.

**The Clan**

The important thing to make Tur work for me as a character, was to give her a background and culture that roughly put her in the ball-park I needed from a ‘voice’ perspective. Culturally, the whole Hundteth Clan had to prop up that view point. Eventually I settled on a majority Corellian, a large portion of pirate, and some generic outlaw, viking, and Australian bits thrown in for good measure.

Much of what you get in the chapters The Old Clan and The Burning Day explain the bits I dug up, largely in reference to Corellians, as I think Old Clan would consider themselves Corellian first, and pirates secondary. Thank you, Wookiepedia. The Corellian information was a massive help! The military Blood Stripe, green being a favourite colour, love of nature, risk taking, ship-lust, belief in luck – all came from Corellian culture. I twisted some of that, flipped some of it, and ran with the rest.

As for our only other Clan character, Bera, well… that’s a little more personal. You see, Bera is largely modelled after my father. As Clan Leader, he’s more than her older brother, and I felt Tur (being pretty wayward) needed a strong voice of reason and authority in her life. Most of Bera’s attitude towards Din is either based on my dad’s opinion of either my ex or my husband (both being polarly opposite, one being exceedingly negative, and the other very positive). I had a rich store of dialogue for that. I also have Dad to thank for a lot of Tur’s wiser musings, which have been formed as a result of his lessons and love.

Why was that so important? Because Dad introduced me to Star Wars, and it’s been something we’ve shared in cinemas, and in discussion, to this day. As I said in T-Shaped Lens:

_I first saw the original Star Wars films back-to-back in the theatre – a rare treat for the first-time viewer. I was five years old, and my dad took me to the three-film marathon in 1983 when Return of the Jedi came out. It is my first (and most joy-filled) movie memory, and I was hooked for life._

If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be into Star Wars in the first place, and I wouldn’t have had half the skill set I needed to get me through my rough days.

Thanks, Dad.

**"I Know"**

You'll notice the Mando and the Pirate never say the words "I love you" directly to each other. Even in the smut piece, they never say it. In the final lines, Din is about to declare his love, but Tur's final words end the series, cutting Din off with "I know."

Of course, Tur being a Corellian, this is a hat-tip to Han Solo.

I was determined that Din and Tur were not going to be romantic, particularly not in public, because I didn't think it fit with their cultures, upbringing or experiences. So there's no 'babe' or 'honey' or hand holding or hugging. The two exceptions are calling each other 'baby' in the smut piece while they fuck (normally in a dirty context - e.g. "Yeah, baby... cum for me...") and Tur calling the Mando "Beskar" when she gets horny (which is as much a dick euphemism, as it is a term of endearment).

**Ewoks**

Yeah, I was just kind of obsessed with Ewoks as a kid. Sorry...


	7. The Author’s Journey

_"Take your broken heart and make it into art"_

_\- Carrie Fisher_

NOTE: This was written after the writing of the original Beskar Heart story - my first ever attempt at creative writing as an adult.

***

The Australian bushfires hit their worst over Christmas and New Year’s 2019, and all we could do was sit and wait. Literally, sit indoors. It was far too hot and smoky to be outdoors without air masks. No one wanted to go too far from home, in case the call came in to evacuate. In the long dark nights when I couldn’t sleep, I needed something.

So for the first time, I turned to creative writing.

Nothing incredible – just a Mandalorian fan fic. Something fun to provide a distraction and help me sleep. Fanfic should be easy, right? The world is already there and doesn’t need to be created from scratch. I also had a vague premise I wanted to write about, so this will be a cake walk... right?

I’d always had an issue with Episode 4 – The Sanctuary, and the assertion that Din Djarin would “settle down”. Being a predator, and a committed Mando, I felt Din would only ever be with a woman who would put his Creed first, and never ask him to remove his helmet – she had to have a Beskar Heart.

My husband thought it was a good idea – after all, it was our story. We got married a little later in life, and his mates had often told him that his ideal woman (one who like heavy metal, cats, lame 80’s action movies and UFC) did not exist. Lo and behold we ‘crashed’ into each other at work. He, after a long period of searching. Me, at a time when I least expected it, and when I had just come to terms with my solitude after a wobbly past.

Turhaya’s voice, in many respects, became me. I thought that if I could speak ‘as myself’ the dialogue would feel more authentic. Voicing a new character frightened me, so I chickened out and wrote the dialogue as largely my own speech.

Problem was, poor Tur ended up inheriting more from me than just my terrible Australian bogan speech patterns, and excessive swearing (and drinking). Because I started writing unconsciously, things I didn’t even realise I was writing about appeared on the page. Issues, man. Fucking issues and baggage. Shit tons of it.

All my unsavory personality traits and bullshit habits came roaring out with my baggage too. It was only for me, so I didn’t care how bad the first drafts were, or whether my pain made it second rate and unreadable. I didn’t need joy and I didn’t need to worry about quality, because no one else was ever going to read this – just me.

I let it all spew forth. _All of it._

I fed all my pain and fears into it. But I didn’t think writing in the dark while the country literally burned to ash around me would lead to such a powerful experience.

I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say, many decades of long overdue therapy went into a work that turned from a shortish story, into a Triffid-like novella. If you’ve read Joseph Campbell or Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories” you’ll know just _reading_ a hero’s journey has the power to transform. Writing one is some next level shit.

For anyone interested in literary alchemy (and if you are, you need to read John Granger’s work – look up ‘Hogwarts Professor Blog’ on google now) you will know there are three parts to the alchemical process. The ‘black phase’ (nigredo), or the breaking down of the base matter. The ‘white phase’ (albedo) or the purification. Lastly the ‘red phase’ (rubedo) where the philosopher’s stone is ‘reborn’ from the purified matter like a phoenix.

As the Mandalorian and the Pirate (and the country) went through a _nigredo_ , so did I. It all burned down. My friend would call it the ‘long dark night of the soul’. And fuck, it was dark. I cried, I paced, and slept maybe a couple of hours a day (and normally that was after dawn). I was fuelled on nothing but coffee (and some self-medication).

I quite literally broke myself down, mentally and physically. And when I looked back at the first two parts of the story (I hadn’t finished yet) I saw the beginnings of the alchemical journey on the page and realized what this whole thing was. I’d even unconsciously packed the first two parts with alchemical symbolism, and to be honest it started to freak me out a little.

By the time the rain showed up after the fires, so had my tears, and I started my purification by sharing with those few closest to me – they, after all, inspired most of what came out onto the page, because they are the ones who support me. My _albedo_. BUT the story was only two thirds completed.

The last three parts of the story are one – the _rubedo_. But at this point I had ‘writer’s block’ and couldn’t “see” the ending yet. Because I had so intrinsically linked my story to my life, I couldn’t see the story until I had dealt with my own issues.

Hard conversations had to take place. The hardest was the day my husband came home to the sight of me crying, because I felt I “had” to kill off a character. I felt certain either Din or Tur needed to die, and I was terrified about what that meant for me. Was I so afraid of happiness that I would kill off characters even though I didn’t want to? Hadn’t I just been writing about making it work? Why couldn’t I make it work now? And what the FUCK did that say about _how I felt about myself_ if I was considering killing my voice off???

However, if you’ve read the story, you’ll probably figure out that the Pirate eventually finds her peace, and no Mandos were permanently harmed in the making of this story. I dealt with decades of issues, lost some weight, and found a small slice of peace. And, with a little feedback, and a lot of re-drafting, I was able to knock it into the story you see posted here online.

And now it was time for the last hurdle – letting go….

We fall in love with characters all the time, and it’s never easy to close the book on the last chapter. I had difficulties getting through Deathly Hallows because I knew the end was nigh. Now I’m sitting here closing the chapter on characters that I not only fell in love with, but that I _helped shape_.

Because it’s a story from the heart, I’m revealing parts of myself to the world, which I find highly frightening, even if no one else but me can see those parts.  
  


...and what happens now?...

I’m walking back in through that little round door at Bag End in Hobbiton and thinking “There are no dragons here. What on Middle-Earth am I going to do with myself?”

Posting this online HURT. It HURT BAD.

Truth is, once you put down that pen, you’re putting it down for good and walking away into the sunset. It’s like telling your lover to leave and never come back – not because they betrayed you, but because they made you too happy. And they ain’t gonna walk on their own. You have to perform the deed yourself.

But you know what? In my years walking around on this rock, taking life’s kicks in the face, I’ve learnt a thing or two. Pain and the ability to really feel it, is what made the story in the first place. And it hurts, but so does climbing Mount Everest, and the view from the top is worth it.

If I didn’t understand about literary alchemy and the powerful transformative nature of the written word, I don’t think I would have been as open to allowing the experience to take me as deep as it went. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to make sense of my own journey as much as I think I have.

I was able to turn the literary analysis tools normally used to dissect characters and themes, and use them to heal myself, and think about where my personal story arc was headed. And I’m much better for it.

I don’t know if I’ve changed, but I think I’ve grown.

***

**Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please hit the kudos button below to let me know.**


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